Inter Milan have a unique and wonderful talent in centre-back Alessandro Bastoni.

The twenty five year old often starts games as the Nerazzurri’s left sided defender in a back three. But the Italian international will rarely stick to that role when the Serie A champions have the ball.

Bastoni is very comfortable with the ball at his feet, he’ll often surge forward and can retain the ball in crowded areas. He also possesses particularly good vision and the ability put in wonderful crosses and great passes into the opposition’s penalty area.

In Inter’s recent 3-2 win over Torino (Match Report ESPN) this past weekend, highlighted all of Alessandro’s distinctive attacking qualities.

A quick look at the defender’s heat map will show you that he loves charging forward. Bastoni spent more time during the game as either a marauding full-back or deep-laying midfielder. Having an extra man in midfield allows Inter Milan to win the battle in the engine room and it confuses opponents to see the big centre-half help dictate things from a midfield position.

On the twenty-fifth minute Bastoni delivered a delightful left footed ball into the area for forward Marcus Thuram to steer in with his head. The cross was expertly played in with accuracy and at the right speed, it was a pass that a young David Beckham would have been proud of!

Inter boss Simone Inzaghi gives his defenders so much freedom to pop up anywhere on the park. Both Bastoni and central defensive partner Francesco Acerbi played prominent roles in getting Thuram his second goal of the match. Alessandro Bastoni played a one two with his fellow centre-back and this time it was Acerbi on the left who produced a fine cross for the hitman to finish once again with his head.

In the win over Il Toro, Bastoni made 105 passes and was successful with 95% of those passes. In total he had 123 touches of the ball, with only creative Turkish star Hakan Çalhanoğlu boasting more.

The defender’s constant bursts forward can also give more opportunities to others within the team to shine. For instance it can allow left-back Federico Dimarco to push even further forward and not just on the wing. Fellow Azzurri star Dimarco has scored 12 times in 105 league games for Internazionale and a big part of him getting into the box will be due to Bastoni taking over the left wing-back slot. Alessandro’s marauding also creates some space in slightly deeper positions for gifted midfielders Nicolo Barella and Çalhanoğlu to exploit.

It should be noted that Alessandro Bastoni can also standout with his defensive duties.

Italian defensive legend Giorgio Chiellini heaped praise on Bastoni (Source One Football):

“I know Alessandro well, he is one of the strongest central defenders around and for me, he is among the best in the world.”

The centre-back is a solid unit and very strong in the air. Being an intelligent player Alessandro can read the game well and that is key in his ability to win interceptions. He can win his fair of challenges and has the pace to get back and recover when needed.

Alessandro is a real leader on the pitch and leads by example, whether that’s from a defensive point of view or whenever he breaks the lines upfield.

The Italian is simply a gifted all rounder and making the attacking centre-back position an exciting trend that will keeps those watching enthralled!

Posted on October 10th, 2024 by scott
Filed under: Article